Swimming appliance.



TATENTED 00T. 22. 1907.

- 0.1i. MATTER.l

SWIMMING APPLIAIIG.V APPLICATION HLED'MAY 6.1907.

a nu@ n (oz ulllllllllnmlmmirm ,a/y Tf @a2- www arianna UNITED STATES PATENT onirica.

SWIMMING- APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22, 1907.

Application filed May 6. 1907. Serial No. 372,103.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. MATTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Swimming Appliances, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to swimming appliances, and one of the principal objects of the same is to provide a glove or mitten for the hand of the wearer, made of thin sheet india rubber and having connecting webs between the fingers and longitudinal stiffening wires for holding the appliance flat.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and convenient appliance which may be attached to the hand to facilitate the operation of swimming.

These and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a swimming appliance made in accordance with my invention and shown connected to a hand in position for use. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the appliance detached from the hand. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional'view on the line SW3, of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing for a more particular description of my invention, the numeral 1 designates a piece of sheet rubber of flexible and elastic character, and comparatively thin, said rubber being formed with a plurality of finger pockets 2. pockets 2 are oblong, wire stiffeners 3, said stiffeners being secured in the pockets by stitches 4. These stiffeners each consists of a wire frame having rounded ends and parallel sides. Finger loops 5 are secured Inclosed in the V on top of the pockets 2 by stitches G. Between the pockets and stiffeneis, the web portion 7 extends, said web portion being flexible and elastic and permitting the outer pockets 2 to be closed inward toward the center or to be spread out, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The fingers and thumb of the hand may be connected to the appliance as shown in Fig. 1, there being three stiffeuers and pockets, the thumb of the hand may be inserted under the loops or straps 5, and the middle linger and little finger being connected to the other sets of loops or straps 5, thus permitting the fingers to be brought together, or to be spread out, as shown in Fig. 1. A wrist strap 8 is connected to the rubber 1.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that a swimming appliance made in accordance with my invention, being light, thin and flexible, will aid materially in the action of swimming and fioating; may be quickly applied to the hands, can be manufactured at slight cost, and will be found efiicient and reliable in use.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim The herein described swimming appliance comprising a piece of thin sheet rubber having' a series of radial stiltener pockets secured to one side thereof, oblong wire stilleuers secured in place in said pockets, said stiffeners each consisting of a Wire frame having, rounded ends and parallel side bars, integral Webs between the side bars of the stiffeners, and linger straps secured to the stiffener pockets, essentially as described.

In testimony whereof, l alx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. MATTER.

Witnesses WM H; IHRIG, Louis SCMEK. 

